Rebel Wilson's defamation trial against publisher begins

The defamation trial for "Australian success story" and Hollywood movie star Rebel Wilson will hear from a number of witnesses including her mother and siblings, her Australian and USA agents, and an old school friend from her childhood in Sydney.

The Pitch Perfect actress is suing executives of magazine publisher Bauer Media in her native Australia for defamation after they allegedly ruined her reputation by publishing articles across a series of magazines which painted her as a liar and accused her of fabricating facts such as name, age, and upbringing.

Wilson said that in her hallucination she rapped her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, and upon waking realised she had to pursue the vision.

Bauer Media, on the other hand, argues that their articles had no effect on Wilson's public persona.

In the witness box, Wilson tearfully recounted the "nasty" articles that she claims damaged her career after a journalist employed by the publisher had been contacted by one of Wilson's former schoolmates.

Pictures of Rebel Wilson as a child from a PowerPoint presentation shown in court.

"These articles were a deliberate malicious take-down of me", the actress said as she wiped away tears, according to the Press Association.

"It's kind of like they're getting the knife and just shoving it further into me", she said.

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Three days before publishing the article at the centre of the trial, Woman's Day editor-in-chief Fiona Connolly voiced concerns about it.

However, she said all that changed after the Bauer articles were published.

Wilson is set to take the stand herself later in the hearing.

Wilson said the woman had a problem with her success, and that she couldn't believe Bauer "would print this rubbish".

Real Rebel worked to suppress her own grin.

Wilson will begin testifying on Tuesday, when the trial, before Justice John Dixon, continues.

Ms Wilson told media outside court that it was traumatic to relive the saga.

Wilson returned to Australia and chose to become an actress after finishing an arts-law degree at the University of New South Wales.

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